The veggie patch

I finally planted my garden! Well, half of it. I lost motivation after I realised that what I was planting needed care and maintenance, and it is nearly impossible to do anything in there because my kids attack everything (see my first blog about the veggie garden).

I planted lots of different things, having no idea what would grow or whether anything would survive, kind of assuming lots of things would die. So I think I crowded things into a smaller space than I needed to. I'm still not sure what's actually going to produce the foods I am so excited about eating. But things seem to be growing, and I'm pleased with how things are looking, even tasting! Yes, I've had my first taste. Just a few spinach leaves, cooked them into my soup, they were beautiful looking and tasting.

So now, I will share photos of my crops, and ask for some advice if anyone has any...



Carrots: Michaela helped to plant these, which means she basically just shook the packet of seeds out into massive clumps, which I attempted to spread evenly, but anyone who has planted carrots before knows how tiny the seeds are, so I didn't really try too hard. I am also adopting a "go with the flow" attitude about this garden: whatever is meant to be, will be, and I am not going to stress or slave away to make it happen. Here is a pic of half the row of carrots after I thinned out the carrot seedlings by about half: 

As you can tell, I am going to have to do that again, probably soon!

Spinach: Two English spinach seedlings survived and instead of producing lots of delicious little leaves, are producing a few giant ones. Is this normal? (pic is after I cut a few leaves off, making it look even weirder)

And those are little rogue carrot seedlings popping up all around, in random spots throughout at garden, thanks to my little girl :)

Strawberries: Can't remember which kind I grabbed in one of my many screaming-kids-mad-dash shopping trips to the local hardware store, I think maybe something with Alpine in the name? They all looked the same to me, please let me know which varieties you've enjoyed. I wanted something that sounded kind of hearty (low-maintenance). These are three of the six. They seem to be growing moderately well, and not a favorite with the slugs which is a bonus.

Tomatoes: I think they are called Mighty Reds, or something like that. Again, the name "Mighty" conveyed some fighters who were going to survive in my novice garden experiment. They are actually doing really well, growing like weeds, no evidence of snails, and starting to flower. These plants smell AMAZING!

 

 

I've got four of these guys, three tied to stakes, the fourth I planted near the fence thinking I would tie it to that, but I am now realising that's going to be more difficult than I planned. Still, I made an effort at tying it up today, so we'll see how it goes. Because the lawn borders the fence, I think I might have a hard time separating grass/weeds/pests from the plant?

 

Bell Peppers (Aussies call them Capsicums): I think these were called California Bell Peppers, a name that appealed to me for obvious reasons, being a California native. I have six of them and they seemed to do the best... initially. But now just don't seem to be growing. They don't seem to be favored by the slugs, so I am at a bit of a loss to explain it, just going to have some patience and see what happens.



Snow Peas: Five beautiful plants that are growing like weeds, never in the directions I want them too, but now that they are flowering, they are just too pretty for me to stay mad at them :)

The Lone Bean: I think this guy was called a Giant of Stuttgart. I liked the idea of Jack's giant beanstalk growing in my garden, and the leaves on this little guy were huge when I planted him. Then they got eaten down to a nubbin, and now... he's come back to life. And I have no idea what to do with him. Stake him? Any ideas?

Sweetcorn: Five plants, growing well, some bottom leaves seems a little dry on edges but I'm not worried yet.

 

Basil: Not writing them off yet (there are others that look even worse than this one). Seem to be the snails favorite, as you can see in the photo! I'm not really sure what to do, I had sandpaper around the plant, but that didn't seem to stop them, and neither did the beer. I probably won't bother with egg shells (too lazy), but I am thinking about trying coffee. Any other ideas?



Cos Lettuce: About ten beautiful looking plants, these look ready to eat, and I am looking forward to putting them in my salads this week! A few nibbles here and there from the slugs, but still growing well. How long are lettuce plants good to eat from? I am just wondering when I will need to pull them up and start again?

 

 



Zucchini: I had pretty much given up on these guys, they were attacked as fiercely as the basil, but this one seems to be making a comeback, so I'm going to keep watching the other two and see what happens. Tips?

Sad little chili plant: Solo jalapeno plant, doesn't seem to growing, doesn't look very happy. Not sure why?

 



Left-over seedlings ended up in this old pot I've had in front of the house ever since we moved in but never planted anything in. I put very sad-looking butter lettuces in, which seem quite happy now, and a couple basils that are growing very slowly. Amazingly, no snails have tried climbing up this pot yet! These plants are pristine.

 

 

Enchanted Gardens

My poor kiddies had conjunctivitis last week (what Americans lovingly refer to as PINK EYE! So lovely...) Of course, it was the viral kind that does not respond to any medication whatsoever, so we ended up missing their cousin's birthday party. The double misfortune was that, initially thinking they had bacterial infections, I was pinning them on the floor to pry their eyes open and shove drops in every couple of hours... it was hell. The silver lining was that I kept promising Michaela she would get to go to Luca's birthday party if she let me put the drops in. It was my only bargaining chip, so I played it hard. And then, of course, the morning of the party... crusty eyes. Dave was ready to take them both to the PLAY CENTER and let them spread it around but I just couldn't bring myself to be THAT parent. So we missed out. I felt really bad for Michaela, so the two of us headed to the Enchanted Gardens of Arthur's Seat for some mother-daughter bonding. Here are some pictures:

The "Enchantosaurus". Of course.

In Australia, its called "Snakes & Ladders", so you slide down snakes instead of slides... Michaela loved it. We took turns spinning and moving through the game.

Fairy garden. She loved finding tiny flowers in the water.

Beach house.

Making sand castles in September looks like this.

Panda chairs.

Tire maze. You had to get to the center tire by walking across red, blue, green planks, following that order of colours. I was suprised at how easily she grasped this concept, but then didn't seem to care that we ended up cheating to get to the middle. It was hard!

Rope maze. She was a pro at this. Put on a belt, choose a color, and clip yourself on. Travel through the maze until you get back to your starting point.

Tube slides were the hit of the day. She was too young to go by herself, so I had to ride with her. It was pretty darn fun!

Had to stop at the Amazing Lolly Shop at the end of the day. That is one happy kid.

Creating a veggie garden

I am not going to title this "planting a veggie garden" for I fear we are far from (possibly never going to start) planting my little square of garden that I dream will someday yield us a range of beautiful veggies.

There are many reasons why I want to start a veg garden. There are the "right" ones: sustainable organic food production, teaching children where food comes from, etc. There are the selfish ones: "Dave has hobbies that he enjoys. Why should I spend every week focused only on the kids and the housework? I deserve to do something (albeit possibly something I am not going to excel at) just for ME!" And there are the down-right insane ones: "Everyone else is doing it. Surely if so many friends of mine with children, careers, AND different hobbies other than gardening can manage growing a multitude of produce in their own yards, so can I!" Add to the list of insane the many websites I've looked at that tout the simplicity and enjoyment of veggie growing.

Once I got my heart set on the idea, I knew it would only happen once I started digging. So on Sunday afternoon, I sent Dave and the kids to his dad's. I spent most of that time at the local hardware shop trying to figure out what I would need to add to the soil and how I would keep the dogs out. But then ($75 later! Side-note: this is a LOT of money out of our monthly budget...) I finally stuck that shovel into the earth. It took HOURS to dig up just a few rows of dirt! By my calculations, I would be lucky to dig out my measured plot by the following weekend, provided I had a couple of dry hours to work every day. HA. Add children and weather into the mix, and that is looking less likely. BUT, there is something deep in my blood that hates to leave things unfinished. So I will persevere, even if it means I am planting in the blistering heat of summer, I desperately want to prove to myself that I can do this.

I have one friend in particular who inspires me. She has three children under the age of 4, a huge house that she keeps in immaculate condition, an exceptional range of handmade crafts that somehow she finds the time to make (and sell!), and a husband who works 6 days a week (so she does a lot on her own). She casually mentioned the other day that in a single weekend she set up their new veggie garden and worm farm. Done. I will never, ever, know how she finds the time to do it all, or make it look so simple. This is what setting up the garden has looked like thus far for me:

Two trips to the local hardware store (the second one with screaming kids in tow, constantly climbing out of the shopping cart and running away so they can experience the thrill of testing my patience as I chase them down, corner them, and force them back in again) totalling well over $100 by now (and I haven't even thought about WHAT I am actually going to plant in there once I get started), and 3 days of sporadic digging interspersed with:

"Mom, we want to help, LET US HELP!"

"OK, here, pick up the loose blades of grass and put them in the wheel barrow."

"This is BOOOOOORING!!!!!!!!!"

"OK, look at these worms, dig them new homes in the soil and cover them up."

"Yaaaay! Worms! Look at my worm Mommy! MATTHEW! NOOOO! MOM, LOOK AT WHAT MATTHEW'S DOING TO MY WORM! AGHHHHHHHH!" <Lots of screaming, crying, shoving, a bit like a horror movie as Matthew obsesses with mutilating the worms and Michaela attempts to save them. I get ALOT done while this is going on. NOT. And this is pretty much the default we come back to the entire time we're out there>

"Mom, I'm hungry. I'm HUNGRY! I need a snack!!!!!! MOOOOOOOOM!"

"Matthew, stop scooping out all the soil and throwing it all over the yard!" <I swear the dogs are better at responding to me when I talk to them.There is pretty much dirt everywhere>

"Give me back my tool, Matt. MOM! MATTHEW TOOK MY RAKE! WAHHHHH!"

"Mom, there's dog poop over here. Come get it. Get it now! MATTHEW'S TOUCHING IT!"

Just a taste, really. It is going to take me a long, long, time. But maybe if I write about it on here, you, my loyal fans, will help inspire me. And by loyal fans, I should actually say Hi Mom! Hi Dad! as I am pretty sure you are the only people who look at this on the odd occasion. Love you :)

Welcome back... to winter

After an amazing taste of summer during our holiday in California, it was back to the wet and cold in Melbourne. And now I can appreciate why so many parents put their kids in early pre-school, even if it is just a few days a week. What do you do with bored children couped up in a tiny house during the winter season? Especially after coming from that SoCal sun, I was not about to rug up and head out into the storms. So... I had to get more creative. Lots of baking, making playdough, and...

The fishing game!

A few magnets, spoons, and strings kept them entertained for a while. Granted I had to keep untangling strings and making sure they shared, but it kept them happy at the end of a long boring day after a long boring week of being stuck in the house!

And yes, the house always looks that messy... despite having their own bedroom AND playroom, they still prefer to drag their bedding and toys out into the living area every day. I don't blame them. Its where their best friend, the TV, lives!

Matthew reads

Often if Matthew has been "too quiet" for a while, I find he has parked his car in Michaela's room, pulled most of the books off her shelves, and is engrossed in turning the pages. It is very cute that he loves books so much. Pity it also makes such a mess!

Michaela-isms

Michaela has never had a lot of "-isms". She wanted to speak properly from the word go. Maybe I corrected her too much. But I have savoured her own silly sayings, even though they are so few and far between. As a toddler, she would call a butterfly a "flutter-die" and strawberry "straw-be-berry". She would often say "That would be like soooooo fun." Sadly, I can't think of any others... Mattew became Maffew.

Now, if you ask her what her toothpaste smells like, she says "figaroni" with a very cheeky smile. When she introduces Matthew to kids at the park she says "This is my little brother, Maffew. He's always trotting into trouble." A piece of ribbon is her "sew-er" (used for sewing, of course).

Dress up usually consists of tieing her pink snuggly blankie around herself in different ways. Around her body like a bath towel it becomes a ballgown. On her head it is a "bride" (veil). Around her neck, a cape, so she can be a super hero.

Even though she has dolls now, I love how she still uses her Winnie the Pooh teddy to be a princess and her puppy to be a prince. The sheep teddies are their horses.

Matthew tries to say Lightening McQueen "Akeen" and his catch-phrase Ka-chow "Ah-choe". After we say grace, instead of saying Ahhh, he can now say Ahmin. And, as always, will wait until we are done praying to eat, now matter how hungry he is. Amazing the things they learn just from watching. Now Michaela will even remind me to lock the front door if I forget. I guess she watches me like a hawk.

I love how she makes up her own words to music without lyrics. Her favourite is the intermission music for the Sound of Music soundtrack. Her favorite line is "Don't forget about my sister" which she sings repeatedly throughout. She also has Cinderella on tape and will sing to the music after the story, mostly nonsense, but often "Cinderella, she is the one!" over and over. There is no better "feel good" music I could imagine listening to in the car. My other favorites are when Matthew chimes in to "Do, a Deer" (he sings the do, re, mi parts) and "So Long, Farewell" (he sings the "cuckoo" part).

In the insults department, her favorites used to be "you're a bega" or "you're a sega". A newer favorite is "Mom, you're a nose-bush". These are always used in a silly (not mean) context, so I always have a comeback to the nose-bush by calling her a nut-bush. And lots of laughing ensues. When I try to be stern with her she says "Oh Mom, don't be such a guppy." And if she really wants to impress you, she'll show you her dinglehopper (a fork) and comb her hair with it.

Our favorite last night was her desperate plea during dinner "But its too spicy when there's no spice!"

Easter

 The Easter celebrations began a week early at Michaela's first egg hunt. Her friend Brody was there and they had a great time together. 

 First "egg and spoon race" too!

Enough chocolate eggs to last her until next Easter... and by that I mean, she will be lucky if I don't eat them all before the month is out. They are Cadbury's. And I am weak.

I really wanted to go to mass on Good Friday since we would be camping on Easter. Michaela was excited to wear her "Easter" dress so we went at the normal mass time, which was the wrong time, but showed up in time for the full dress rehersal for a children's reinactment of the stages of the cross. She was totally captivated, wanted to get up and be a part of it even, I had to restrain her. So then we waited a half hour for the full ceremony. She kept saying all day that she wanted to be Jesus' mother, and then when I took her with me to mass today she wanted to know if we would see Jesus again. And of course, without kids performing for her, she kept complaining how bored she was, and I was mortified trying to keep her quiet as there were very few people in the church, she was the only child, and (by default) the loudest!

Modelling her dress:

Our first night camping, I made burritos. With enchilada sauce. We didn't have a separate pot for the beans, and I figured since they get mixed together in the burrito anyway, I'd cook it all in the one pan. I named them Sloppy Jose's and they weren't bad. This pic of Matt eating his is my new favorite. He just looks like such a little bloke, someone just needs to Photoshop a stubby holder on that juice bottle...

These kids love their juice bottles:

Another one of Matt in his chair. I just find them so cute and funny, he is a little boy now, not my little baby anymore...

We learned from our last camping trip to bring MANY toy cars for Matt to play with. They were indispensible. He drove them on every surface, over and over.

Smile without your dummy?

Rugged up on a cold morning! (Yes, Michaela is eating popcorn for breakfast...)

This log carved into a bench made me think of my dad. I wanted the kids to sit on it but it was too wet. So Michaela posed and Matt drove his car on it.

Michaela was pleased with a "throne" and footstool, even though her legs aren't quite long enough.

We picnicked at a playground with a bike park and the kids enjoyed walking through and climbing on the obstacles.

The walk up to Steavenson's Falls near Marysville. Michaela told me the trees were broken. She also said it was a jungle down where the ferns were growing strong.

Michaela enjoyed posing in front of the falls.

Our second campsite was a real score, wide open space next to the creek all to ourselves!

Matt was obsessed with the water. I had to constantly chase him down there as he really wanted to play in it and it was waaaaaay too cold for that! Luckily there was a pile of rocks nearby, he could go back and forth picking them up and throwing them in. Both kids find this activity very enjoyable!

Matt loved having a big space to push his mower around too.

This run-by shot captures his "just try and stop me" expression as he hauls butt back down to the water

Now I just need to recover from chocolate-egg sugar overload... too good... can't resist... help!!